Ten people have been indicted in a drug-related conspiracy in Orleans Parish, as District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro continues to attempt prosecutions against alleged high-volume drug dealers under an obscure state racketeering statute. The indictment, which was unsealed this week, marks the third time that Cannizzaro has brought racketeering charges against suspected neighborhood drug rings.

That group, known as the Cut-Throat-City Snake Gang, operated in a small area around Flood and Marais streets, Cannizzaro said.

The most recent indictment, which was unsealed this week, involves an alleged drug ring based in the 7th Ward and known as the "Baka 7 Town" gang, Cannizzaro said. The group, prosecutors say, has operated in a five-block stretch of St. Anthony Street, from North Tonti Street to Duels Street.

The prosecution stems from a federal investigation led by two agencies: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Cannizzaro, who held a 3 p.m. news conference to highlight both cases, with NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas and representatives of the two federal agencies.

Cannizzaro said 10 of the 19 suspects from both recent cases have been arrested. The rest remained at large. Darlene Cusanza, executive director of Crimestoppers of Greater New orleans, said the group was offering $1,000 rewards for the rest.

Racketeering statutes were designed to curtail organized crime, and their use in state court remains rare, legal experts say. Because of stiff sentences, they can be effective in eliciting plea agreements or getting defendants to flip on others.

Sentences under the statute range from zero to 50 years, but can rise to a life in prison if a defendant has prior convictions. Two of the suspects in the recent two cases face mandatory life sentences if convicted.

Cannizzaro has wheeled out the state racketeering statute to corral defendants accused of involvement in drug rings in the city, hoping to secure plea deals or persuade jurors that individual crimes are part of a larger drug business.

"This is something we haven't done to any degree in the state system," Cannizzaro said. "We're going to take advantage of everything we can to go after violent offenders."

He said his office is selective in using the statute, choosing groups that "control their neighborhood. They enforce their rules." He described both operations as local affiliations focused on a few blocks, with leaders, enforcers, drug dealers and members charged with cleaning up scenes when law enforcement comes calling.

Both recent cases involve s"significant illegal gun activity," Cannizzaro said. Serpas noted that half of all murder suspects over the last few years had prior gun charges.

Phillip Durham, special agent in charge for the ATF's New Orleans field division, said the agency took its investigation to Cannizzaro's office because of the suspects' prior state cases.

"Normally these things go to federal court," he said.

In late 2010, Cannizzaro's office used a similar tactic in getting 11 young men indicted as alleged members of the "D-Block Gang, " which police claimed sold prodigious amounts of drugs and meted out violence just off North Broad Street and Orleans Avenue in the 6th Ward.

Five of the indicted men in that case were from a single family. According to court records, they had amassed at least 100 arrests combined, most on drug offenses but also some violence.

Despite criticism from family members, all but one of the 11 defendants in that case have pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from three to 15 years in prison, court records show.

The D-Block case was the first use of the state racketeering statute in Orleans Parish in several years. Cannizzaro said he'd like to continue using the racketeering law in the future, but that it demands a heavy investment of resources and will depend on its ongoing success.

"These guys we believe are very bad people. We'd love to bring these prosecutions on a regular basis," he said. "It lets everybody know that what you've been doing on 2300-2700 St. Anthony, you're not just under the watchful eye of the city. You have the federal government watching you."

Judge Keva Landrum-Johnson agreed to keep the latest indictment sealed until authorities could round up several of the defendants.

Several defendants in the case have a history of arrests, mostly for drugs.

In May, Jason, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree battery and received a nine month jail sentence. Last year he pleaded guilty to simple battery and received an 18-month sentence.

Kelvin Harrison, 24, last year pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute both cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to five years in prison, court records show.

Jason Masters, 23, pleaded guilty in 2010 to possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine and marijuana and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In the same case, Brown pleaded guilty to an attempt to illegally carry weapons with drugs and was sentenced to two years in prison

Nickerson, 22, currently faces a second-degree murder charge.

Sears, 29, has been awaiting trial on a charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, as well as cocaine distribution.

Eric Masters, 24, was booked last month on five drug counts and a count of illegal carrying of a weapon with drugs. He also has a marijuana conviction.

Brooks, 24, pleaded guilty this year to possession of stolen objects and received a suspended sentence.

Landrum-Johnson set bond for the defendants at between $300,000 and $500,000.

Assistant District Attorneys David Pipes, Stephen Collins and Angad Ghai are prosecuting the two cases.